Nanopore Sequencing

An Introduction

This is an introductory text and laboratory manual to be used primarily in undergraduate courses. It is also useful for graduate students and research scientists who require an introduction to the theory and methods of nanopore sequencing. The book has clear explanations of the principles of this emerging technology, together with instructional material written by experts that describes how to use a MinION nanopore instrument for sequencing in research or the classroom.

At Harvard University the book serves as a textbook and lab manual for a university laboratory course designed to intensify the intellectual experience of incoming undergraduates while exploring biology as a field of concentration. Nanopore sequencing is an ideal topic as a path to encourage students about the range of courses they will take in Biology by pre-emptively addressing the complaint about having to take a course in Physics or Maths while majoring in Biology. The book addresses this complaint by concretely demonstrating the range of topics — from electricity to biochemistry, protein structure, molecular engineering, and informatics — that a student will have to master in subsequent courses if he or she is to become a scientist who truly understands what his or her biology instrument is measuring when investigating biological phenomena.

Contents:

• The Development of Nanopore Sequencing (Daniel Branton and David Deamer)
• Ionic Currents (Stephen Fleming)
• Lipids and Nanopores (David W Deamer)
• Nanopore Structure, Assembly, and Sensing (Daniel Branton)
• Helicases and DNA Motor Proteins (Alicia K Byrd and Kevin D Raney)
• Development of Multipore Sequencing Instruments (James Clarke)
• DNA Extraction Strategies for Nanopore Sequencing (Joshua Quick and Nicholas J Loman)
• Molecular Engineering DNA and RNA for Nanopore Sequencing (Andrew J Heron)
• Bioinformatic Analysis of Nanopore Data (Miten Jain)
• Two Suggested Student Laboratory Exercises (Daniel Branton and Stephen Fleming)

Readership: Undergraduate students, graduate students and research scientists who require and introduction to the theory and methods of nanopore sequencing, bioinformatics, clinical technicians, and other biologists who have had no training in nanopore sequencing.
Key Features:

• The book is the first on the market and is unique
• The book serves both as a textbook and as a laboratory manual for nanopore sequencing
• The topic of the book — nanopore sequencing — is the only sequencing method that is sufficiently inexpensive and can be used in undergraduate courses